Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Light Heavyweight

1. Alex Pereira (12-2) | UFC [1]

In the headliner of UFC 307 on Oct. 5, “Poatan” added another chapter to his remarkable story, weathering a stern challenge from Khalil Rountree before destroying him with an onslaught of punches in Round 4. With the win, Pereira ran his record to 5-0 at light heavyweight and set a new UFC record for the fastest run to three successful title defenses. The towering Brazilian has taken the sport by storm over the last three years, and while he understandably called for some time off after his latest win, he appears to have quite a bit left in the tank.

2. Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1, 1 NC) | UFC [2]

Ankalaev relied on his educated left hand in a methodical unanimous decision triumph against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26. While it wasn’t the most thrilling affair, Ankalaev’s 13-bout unbeaten streak at 205 pounds is difficult to ignore. On the heels of his latest triumph, Ankalaev is expected to be the next challenger for reigning light heavyweight king Alex Pereira.

3. Jiri Prochazka (30-5-1) | UFC [4]

Given a second opportunity against Alex Pereira, Prochazka couldn’t find any new weaknesses in his Brazilian rival, as he suffered a second-round technical knockout loss in the UFC 303 headliner on June 29. While the Czech Republic native may very well still be one of the very top talents in the division, his hopes of a return to championship glory will likely remain extinguished until Pereira no longer reigns at 205 pounds. In the meantime, “BJP” will square off against fellow former champion Jamahal Hill at UFC 311.

4. Jamahal Hill (12-2, 1 NC) UFC [5]

After vacating his belt in 2023 due to a torn Achilles tendon, Hill recovered quickly enough to challenge new light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC 300. That effort was short lived, however, as “Sweet Dreams” suffered a first-round knockout loss in the evening’s main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Hill was scheduled to make a quick turnaround at UFC 303 against Carlos Ulberg before pulling out of the fight due to injury. Hill will instead return to lock horns with Jiri Prochazka at UFC 311 on Jan. 18.

5. Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1) | UFC [6]

Blachowicz welcomed ex-middleweight champ Alex Pereira to the division at UFC 291 and with Jamahal Hill having vacated the belt due to injury, their clash might well have been a title eliminator at the very least. Blachowicz came out on the wrong end of a close split decision, leaving him very much in the mix, but time is dwindling if he means to make another run at the belt. A shoulder injury forced Blachowicz to withdraw from a rematch against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 297 in Toronto. Now fully recovered, the Pole willl return to action against Carlos Ulberg at UFC London.

6. Corey Anderson (18-6, 1 NC) | Bellator [7]

It wasn’t always pretty, but Corey Anderson imposed his will over five rounds to earn a unanimous decision triumph over Karl Moore in the Bellator Belfast headliner on March 24. Nearly 10 years after winning “The Ultimate Fighter 19,” Anderson has his first championship in a major organization. The 34-year-old known as “Overtime” is now 5-1 with one no contest since leaving the UFC for Bellator in 2020. He’ll try his hand at heavyweight in a trilogy fight against Vadim Nemkov at Road to Dubai on Jan. 25.

7. Nikita Krylov (30-9) UFC [8]

After an illness forced Krylov out of a proposed headlining clash against Ryan Spann at UFC Fight Night 220, the bout was rescheduled two weeks later as a 215-pound catchweight affair. “The Miner” showcased his grappling chops in the rebooking, submitting Spann with a triangle choke in the opening stanza of their UFC Fight Night 221 matchup. Krylov has won three straight outings, a run that includes wins over Spann, Volkan Oezdemir and Alexander Gustafsson. Krylov was supposed to meet Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 309 before his opponent withdrew from the event.

8. Khalil Rountree (13-6, 1 NC) UFC [9]

Heading into his title shot against Alex Pereira at UFC 307, Rountree faced stiff criticism, mostly centered around his recent performance-enhancing substance infraction and the perception that Magomed Ankalaev was a more deserving challenger. Once the cage door closed, the “War Horse” did everything he could to change that narrative, hurting the champ early, catching him with several clean strike combinations, and generally giving him a harder challenge than anyone else in his light heavyweight title reign. While he will likely have to win another fight or two before calling for another try, Rountree remains an extremely dangerous man in the division.

9. Carlos Ulberg (11-1) UFC [10]

Ulberg earned a signature victory at UFC Macau, as he outpointed former light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir in a featured bout at Galaxy Arena in Macau, China, on Nov. 23. After coming up short in his Octagon debut, “Black Jag” has reeled off seven consecutive UFC victories at 205 pounds — including five inside the distance. He’ll face his toughest test to date when he meets ex-champ Jan Blachowicz at UFC London.

10. Azamat Murzakanov (14-0) | UFC [11]

Murzakanov continued to impress in his latest Octagon appearance, as he knocked out Alonzo Menifield in the second round of their encounter at UFC on ABC 7 in Abu Dhabi. The 35-year-old Russian has been victorious in his first four promotional outings — three inside the distance — since earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021. The former Brave Combat Federation champion had been scheduled to return to action against Nikita Krylov at UFC 309 on Nov. 16, but withdrew for undisclosed reasons.

Other Contenders: Volkan Oezdemir, Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov, Impa Kasanganay, Aleksandar Rakic, Dominick Reyes.

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